39 positive attitude quotes to stop negative thoughts + free cards

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I've curated over 39 positive attitude quotes and motivational pictures that will bring more positivity into your life and stop negative thoughts. Because positive thinking has a beneficial effect on all areas of your life.

positive attitude quotes

It can improve:

  • physical health
  • mental well-being
  • relationships
  • intellectual capacity and perception
  • professional and financial success

I've also created motivation cards for you with positive quotes that you can download for free. These little cards are powerful tools that will help you overcome negative thoughts regarding your body image, habit change, eating pattern, fitness or anything else.

Replace negative thoughts

Only those who are aware of their negative thoughts can transform them. This should be tackled preferably before these thoughts become emotions and cloud our mood. Mindfulness cannot be achieved overnight and may seem challenging at first. Over time, however, if we persist, it can become a natural part of our lives.

positive attitude
“The habit of looking on the best side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a years.”
Johnson

“It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.”
Robert H. Schuller

'When the negative thoughts come—and they will; they come to all of us—it’s not enough to just not dwell on it…. You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.' Joel OsteenClick To Tweet

“When the world pushes you to your knees, you’re in the perfect position to pray.”
Rumi

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
Zig Ziglar

“You know what's just as powerful as a good cup of coffee in the morning? Starting your day with some good, loving thoughts. It can change how your whole day unfolds.”
Karen Salmansohn

Sometimes some self-love can do wonders too. To see what I'm talking about, check out my 57 best self-love and self-esteem quotes

Be constructive and focus on things that work!

Many people only see what doesn't work and what they can't change. Maybe it’s an opulent dinner at the home of your husband's boss you can't refuse, or possibly a day when it's raining cats and dogs and you can't go on your scheduled jog.

However, it makes much more sense to focus on the things that work and what you CAN change. My favorite quote of the day about a constructive attitude is from Winston Churchill:

optimist quote
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Frances Hodgson Burnett

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”
Joyce Meyer

“Sometimes only a change of viewpoint is needed to convert a tiresome duty into an interesting opportunity.”
Alberta Flanders

“An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of the superior personality.”
Brian Tracy

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.” Wade BoggsClick To Tweet

“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.”
William James

“Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude.”
Lou Holtz

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
Helen Keller

“If you have a positive attitude and strive to give your best, eventually, you will overcome problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.”
Pat Riley

Further inspiration: 150 uplifting life quotes on love, happiness and success

Positive attitude in action

A reaction of positive thoughts means not to sugarcoat a situation (something the concept is often blamed for), but it means recognizing where there might be positive approaches for you individually.

Instead of looking for something “nice” in your situation, it is much more effective to find points where you can get active and change something for the better. These are aspects where you can influence something in a favorable way.

Coming back to the given examples: Accept the opulent dinner as something you can't change; enjoy it and plan to indulge wisely. See it as the 20% of deviation allowed within our 80/20 clean eating approach. But react immediately the next day with a light breakfast smoothie or an additional workout session.

Regarding your workout – you can't change the fact that it’s raining cats and dogs. But you can change locations and do workouts instead within your home (e.g. Trampoline Jumping).

Switching from passive victimhood into an active position

Of course, there will come situations in your life that are frustrating, scary, and maybe even downright awful. And yes, sometimes there doesn't remain much more than to accept these feelings. That's totally understandable and ok. But, eventually, something has to happen.

Very few situations change on their own – at least not in a way you would have expected. But there is one thing that you can always do: change your point of view! This kind of positive attitude is, from my point of view, a very mighty one. It causes an immediate turn from self-pity and passive victimhood towards an active position.

self pity quote
Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.
Dale Carnegie

“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.”
Helen Keller

“If you're not careful, you can fall into a destructive cycle of self-pity.”
Victoria Osteen

“Feeling sad or lonely isn't a bad thing. But those emotions increase the risk that you'll cross the line into self-pity.”
Amy Morin

“Hard work is good for the soul, and it keeps you from feeling sorry for yourself because you don’t have time.”
Dave Thomas

'I have always believed that when you're feeling sorry for yourself, the best thing to do is help someone else.' Patricia HeatonClick To Tweet

“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”
Dr. Wayne W Dyer

“In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity, or you can pick yourself up and say, ‘Listen, I have to be responsible for myself.'”
Howard Schultz

Further Reading: 91 inspirational habit quotes about change

Find that mini-step of action!

To get to the crucial step, looking for a very tiny element in a situation that you can tackle can be essential. Finding a mini-step of action and actually implementing it can be fundamental to changing something within you. It causes a chain reaction of positive events and helps you eventually overcoming the situation.

This principle of positive attitude and to constantly strive for actionable mini-steps shouldn't be new to you. My 52-week Chef Habits Ecourse is based on thousands of tiny little steps. One important step is for example drinking more water. This “keystone habit” has the potential to inspire many other good habits in your life.

Let my inspirational water quotes further motivate you to work on a proper hydration.

happiness running steam quote
“Happiness consists in activity. It is running steam, not a stagnant pool.”
John Mason Good

“Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.”
Shiv Khera

“Action is the antidote to despair.”
Joan Baez

“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.”
W. Clement Stone

'Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.' Dale CarnegieClick To Tweet

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
Chinese Proverb

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”
Wade Boggs

“It's easy to feel helpless – like you can't fight the tide. But remember: small actions can have a huge impact, and one person like you can inspire others to action.”
Celeste Ng

“Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.”
Eckhart Tolle

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
Benjamin Disraeli

Further Reading: 100 being happy and happiness quotes

Cultivate a grateful attitude

There's so much we can be grateful for! As soon as we focus on the positive aspects of life, we get the enlightening insight that we have everything we need. We can experience deep gratitude regardless of external circumstances. It is an inner attitude that we can purposefully use to promote modesty and peace of mind.

gratitude thoughts that help make healthy habits stick
“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed at the same moment.”
Naomi Williams

“Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you’re going to live your life.”
Joel Osteen

“I was complaining that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”
Confucius

“A moment of gratitude makes a difference in your attitude.”
Bruce Wilkinson

“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.”
Neale Donald Walsch

'When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.' Tony RobbinsClick To Tweet

“Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery. It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.”
Richelle E. Goodrich

“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.”
Kristin Armstrong

Further Reading85 gratitude quotes and thankful sayings

Do you have already a half-full glass mentality?

That's wonderful! Optimism is a valuable emotional competence, especially when it comes to developing good habits.

Why?

If you have an optimistic outlook, it is easier for you to embrace change over the safety of the known.

For the lucky of us, being optimistic comes naturally. Positive people with a half-full glass mentality come off as confident, comfortable and happy with themselves. They don't let obstacles break them down and most of the time it is fun to be around them.

Hence, there is a lot to be gained in cultivating a positive attitude. Click through to learn more about the powerful attitude of gratitude!

Optimism and hope can be learned

Here comes the good news if you don't have this trait naturally: optimism is a hidden asset that can be learned and practiced. It is one of the key factors you need to achieve positive results and be successful – no matter which area of your life it is in. This could be a grateful attitude regarding your health, at work, or anything else.

Today, I present to you a strategy you can consider on your journey to developing a positive mindset. It's a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.

positive attitude quotes: 3 easy steps to overcome negative thought with your clean eating

3-step habit change to overcome negative thoughts and put your mind at rest

Use the following quotes in a thoughtful way to reprogram your mind. That way your thought process becomes more optimistic, not only to find, but also to carry out the mini-step of action.

Although inspirational quotes on positive attitude may sound hokey, they are actually very useful in cultivating positive reactions:

positive quotes

Step 1: Click here and print out the quote cards! (PDF-File)

See them as a starting point. You'll find tons of motivational sayings online.

Step 2: Do research and write down your own favorite quotation of the day or otherwise words about positive attitudes. Jot them down on special cards or use the blank cards I've prepared for you in the pdf file above!

Step 3: Cut them out and keep them on your desk, in your wallet or purse, or simply place them on a mirror or fridge. Read them out loud to yourself … especially in times, when you feel you need encouragement.

These messages will help you nourish your mind while bringing more success and wellness into your life.

5 additional tips 

With these “stay positive” strategies, you will exchange more and more negative thoughts with optimistic attitudes influencing your most important life goals but also little objectives in a successful way.

picture quote books

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